Marcus Nispel Talks ‘Conan The Barbarian’ Remake

Awhile back the Conan The Barbarian fan site Conan The Movie Blog sent out a list of fan question to director Marcus Nispel (Friday The 13th, Pathfinder) about his upcoming Conan remake. Much to their surprise, Nispel answered back!

In the “exclusive interview” Nispel discusses how he views Conan as a character, what made him take on the remake and why this modern version has to be different from the 1980s film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Conan fans be sure to check it out.

Here are a few choice snippets from the interview:

How important is it to you to stick to the Conan character of the original [Robert E. Howard] stories?

The character of Conan is what most attracted me to this project. He is the last of the reality-based superheroes and the most unapologetic one at that. I find that refreshing in these politically correct times.

What are your thoughts on the previous Conan films? What did you like or dislike?

The original “Conan” movie was written by two master storytellers, Oliver Stone and John Milius, giving us a tough act to follow! Their movie also features the best beheading ever in a major motion picture. Besides, perhaps “Let the Right One In”, which is another perfect example of creativity over special effects.

Like all movies they have to be understood in the context of the time they were produced. Our collective consciousness changes every generation, though and we can’t step into the same river twice. “Conan the Barbarian” was initially released in the disco era, on the heels of “Star Wars” and “The Empire Strikes Back”…Today is a different time entirely. As a society, we are more cynical in times of depression. We have been overfed with high gloss and contrived CG imagery and seek something we can grasp. As our consciousness has shifted, so will the image of Conan.

Later in the interview Nispel addresses such concerns as whether or not the sword fighting in the film will be Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon pretty or violent gritty and what themes of the original Robert E. Howard stories will be brought into the remake. You can check out the interview in full by going here.

I like the sound of Nispel’s Conan. From what I’m gathering, his approach will be less flashy CGI f/x and more a throwback to the days of good substantive filmmaking. Personally, I need a Conan The Barbarian movie to have the feeling of sweat, grime and blood – not sterile green screens. Plus, audiences would be able to smell the stink of a 300-wannabe version of Conan from a mile away. Too much CGI would likely be a death-knell for this remake.

For now, check out the interview with Marcus Nispel and let us know what you think in the comments.

Conan The Barbarian is tentatively slated for a 2010 release… But we’ll see if that holds.